“If you still live and carry on the same old way, then you’ll only just maintain the merit you’ve already made in the past.”

“If you still live and carry on the same old way, then you’ll only just maintain the merit you’ve already made in the past.”

“Living as a lay person, social obligations can sometimes be an obstacle to one’s practice. You should find time to be away from them on occasions. For instance, you can do a retreat at a monastery on a weekend or a holiday. You need to take one step at a time. It is not like you can just dive into it. But you should at least make an effort and have the courage to do what you can, even though you don’t enjoy it or find it difficult.

Since you know that this is the path one must take, you need to make it happen. You shouldn’t wait for a good opportunity to come along as there is no such thing. This is because such an opportunity or the right timing is already here, so are good teachers.

Thailand, as a Buddhist country, is a nice place to live. People make merit (puñña), practise generosity (dāna), maintain the precepts (sῑla), and practise meditation (bhāvanā). There is really nothing to stop you when it comes to practice. It only depends on you and whether you would do it.

If you still live and carry on the same old way, then you’ll only just maintain the merit you’ve already made in the past. There will be nothing more if you don’t push yourself and try to raise the bar. If you used to be able to maintain the five precepts, you’ll only be able to keep those five precepts. If you used to make a certain level of merit through giving, you’ll only be able to do it to the same extent.”

From “Against the Defilements”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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